Trevor Montague

Name: Trevor Montague
Year of Birth: 1990
Height: 5'9”
Weight: 185lbs (off season) 175lbs (on season)
Birthplace: Mississauga On. Canada
Current Residence: Oakville On. Canada
Sport: weight lifting
Twitter: @trevor_montague

Tell us a little about yourself, what you do for a living, what hobbies / interests / passions you have
-I grew up in Mississauga Ont. and played hockey and lacrosse for most of my childhood. I played hockey at the Provincial Jr “A” level at the age of 16. Being one of the shorter players on the team I got into weight training to build some mass. Our team went through a location change and I decided to hang up the skates and get into bodybuilding. I was lifting for about 2 years and then got into triathlons and mountain biking. After a year of doing both sports I decided to stop triathlons to focus solely on cross country mountain biking. I raced for 2 years at the Pro/Elite national level and traveled across Canada to race as a sponsored rider. During this time I was introduced and worked with a holistic nutritionist who was very knowledgeable and had put me on a dairy and gluten free diet to improve recovery. I noticed a huge improvement in my race performance eating this way. I was going into my 4th year at Guelph University for a BSc in Kinesiology and also working on a Dip. In Fitness and Health Promotion and started researching more into ways to reduce disease, especially cancer. At about this time I chose to quit cycling due to time restraints from school and work which I was a personal trainer as well as a nutritional consultant and had been doing so for the past 4-5 years. I decided to get back into bodybuilding as I had missed it and enjoyed it a lot. I am now currently living in Oakville Ont. with my girlfriend of 5 years. When I graduate in a few weeks with my undergrad I am going to be working on obtaining my CSCS certification from the NSCA as well as going to be going back to school for another 4 year to become an Osteopath (manual practitioner). I am also currently working on a website which I will eventually be using as my platform for my training and consulting business. I run a blog truehealthtrevor.blogspot.com which I blog about various research finding that have to do with disease, nutrition, exercise, and most importantly the benefits of a whole foods plant based diet.

Why did you become vegan?
I became a vegan after I was doing a paper for one of my University classes. I was researching secluded cultures in the world that had the longest Health Span (free of chronic disease and sickness). These cultures were living well into their 90's and early 100's and the one thing that they all had in common was a diet free or virtually free of animal proteins. I began to look into this some more and I started to research into protein and nutrient bioavailability. I began to research various sources that had no bias or industry ties. At the time I was a Pro/Elite National level XC mountain biker and was already dairy and gluten free from the advice of my Holistic Nutritionist to improve recovery. I realized that other then eggs, I was very close to eating a vegan diet. I decided at that point to go fully vegan and it happened to fit very well with my feelings towards animals and animal rights. Even when I was younger I always felt compassion towards non domesticated animals, but felt odd about it as I grew up being told that eating animals was something we needed to do. I felt strange trying to feel compassion for those animals when I was part of hundreds of them dying each year due to my food consumption. I am also very aware of our environmental impact on the earth, and I started becoming more aware about the environmental benefits of going vegan. I am a huge nature lover and it seemed right for me to do what I could to avoid wiping out land for cattle, or to grow crops that would only be fed to cattle. It seemed very inefficient and very unsustainable.

When and why did you become interested in fitness?
I have always played sports as a young kid and always enjoyed being active. It wasn't until I was about 17 or 18 where I decided to start lifting weights solely for the health and fitness benefits. I started to read many books and articles from other body builders and fitness models to learn how to effectively gain muscle. I followed their nutritional advice as well, which had always seemed more of their opinion then actual facts about nutrition. I gained a decent amount of muscle but would feel very lethargic and bloated after my meals. I looked healthy, and felt stronger, but I still didn't feel truly healthy and energized.

How would you describe your nutrition program?
I eat almost the same things every day, which I find makes it much easier for my busy schedule. My diet is about 90-95% raw, so most of my meals are blended and in the form of a shake. I eat a lot Kale and vegetables as well as raw nuts with cocao nibs. The only cooked meal I eat is Quinoa, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, red peppers stir fried in coconut oil and topped with nutritional yeast. I drink a lot of shakes with almond milk, Sunwarrior or Vega Protein, and I add in various super foods like Maca, Spirulina, Greens, hemp or pumkin seed protein, cinammon and cocao powder. Every morning as soon as I wake up before I make my breakfast, I drink ¾ cups of Breusse juice and have a green tea with ginger root. I never count calories or even look at nutritional labels. I read ingredients only and eat any time I feel hungry. Before I eat I just think of what my body needs at that specific time, to answer that I look at what I just did and what I'm going to be doing. I focus on limiting inflammation in the body, boosting my immune system, and keeping my body alkaline.

How would you describe your training program?
I currently do a 4 day split which is divided into Back/Bi's, Chest/Tri's, Shoulders/Core, and Legs. I do not plan specific days off, I just listen to my body and if I feel tired then I'll take the day off. This usually ends up being a day off every 1-2 weeks. I don't do any long distance runs, I just warm up on the Stair Master for 10 minutes and increase the intensity every 30secs before my workouts. I go to a track every 2-3 days and do sprint training doing 100m sprints, and sprints with resistance, or up hill sprints.

What kind of supplements do you use if any, and why?
I take Vega pre and post workout as well as BCAA's and Beta Alanine in both. I find the pre workout helps with the mental focus during the workouts and is easy on my stomach and doesn't cause any jitters or keep me up all night. The Vega post workout is great to speed up recovery in that window from the time I finish my workout until I get home and am able to make a meal. The BCAA's and Beta Alanine help with energy during the workout and help me push through the whole workout. I add glutamine to my post workout as well to enhance recovery and boost my immune system. I take Maca every day which is great for supplying you with energy that doesn't stress the adrenal's and balances your hormones, which is extremely important when it comes to building muscle. I take a few vitamins as well like Vitamin D3, B12, Vitamin C, and Magnesium just to ensure I have optimal blood levels. Most, if not all of my nutrients comes from my food, I just take a few extra to ensure that my levels are always consistent.

How do people react when they find out you are vegan?
Most people don't believe me at first and are astonished, They usually assume that I cheat all the time, which always seems strange to me as I wouldn't be a vegan if I “cheated” when I felt like it. After they get over the original surprise they usually end up talking to me for 20 minutes about nutrition and are even more surprised when they start finding out some truths about nutrient bioavailability. Many people usually end up wanting to work with me and want to switch their diet to a more plant based diet to improve their health. I find this very rewarding when someone tells you that because of your advice/guidance they are now living a much happier, healthier life.

What are some common misconceptions about veganism?
Where do you get your protein? Even if It's healthy you must still be deficient in something? You can't build muscle being vegan, it's impossible. What do you eat? You aren't living if you eat vegan? Eating vegan is so restrictive.

Have you had success in promoting veganism / vegetarianism to others? If so, how did you go about it?
I own my own health consulting business and have changed many people lives around by switching their diets to a vegan diet. My main focus when working with people's health and diet, is sticking simply to the health benefits. Some people do not care or chose not to care about the animal ethics part of it, so I focus on the health benefits. I start by going over what they currently eat and I explain the health effects of different foods and how eating a whole food plant based diet can benefit them in all aspects of their life.

What do you think the most important aspect of training is?
Stimulus and recovery. The stimulus (weight being lifted and volume) has to be high enough and you should be lifting out of your comfort zone so that your body has to adapt. The recovery aspect is much more then sleep. It has much to do with your nutrition and allowing your muscles to repair by supplying your body with the nutrients that it needs.

What do you like best about being vegan?
I have much more energy and my recovery has greatly improved. I am able to stay much leaner in the off season and am only 1-2 weeks away from being photo shoot ready, instead of 4 or 5 weeks like many are eating a traditional diet. I never get sick or have to worry about disease any more. I am able to eat knowing that no animal has had to die or be harmed for me.

What do you like best about being fit?
Feeling energized throughout the whole day, and having energy in the evening to do what ever I feel like doing.

What advice do you have for people who are just starting out with training?
Consult with someone who is very knowledgeable in the fitness field and who truly wants you to help you achieve better health. They will be able to ensure that you are set up to properly achieve your goals.

What advice do you have for people who are thinking of becoming vegan?
Seek out the help of someone who has a vast amount of whole food plant based nutrition knowledge and has experience helping people with the transition. This is vital to helping your transition go as healthy and as smoothly as possible. Read and educate yourself as much as you can from unbiased sources.

What motivates you in life?
To help as many people as I can by helping educate them on how to live a truly happier healthier life. As well as being the best I possibly can and pushing the limits of the human body.

What do you think of veganbodybuilding.com? Has it helped or inspired you?
It is a great site to go to for a vast amount of information to help someone find answers to their vegan and fitness questions. It has helped me by sharing with me many other vegan athletes and their journey with health and fitness, this has inspired me to do what I'm doing.

Do you have any other thoughts you'd like to share?
Surround yourself with positive like minded people, they will help you follow the path you want.